My Deaf World!!!
Posted by chillygurlz on November 28, 2007
Hello all… I would like to talk about my deafness… I was born Deaf, my left ear is totally deaf, my right ear has very little hearing left. I do wear my hearing aid in my right ear. Hearing aid do help me quite well… My whole family is hearing so that makes me only one deaf in my family. I am fine with it but I do get lonely sometimes cuz of communication barriers. My mom and few people like my grandma know some sign. I learned to sign when I was one years old from a teacher who would come to my house to help me practice sign.
I was mainstream in public school until I was in 7th grade. Then I went to a deaf school starting in 8th grade, at Nebraska school for the deaf until 9th grade. Then I moved to Iowa school for the deaf, also I repeated 9th grade. Nebraska
school for the deaf closed in 1998 so a lot of NSD students had to move to ISD. Nsd closed due to low number of students and no budget.
Luckily I was also able to grow up with a deaf family part time, They are my friends and it helped me learn about deaf culture and encouraged me to keep up with my signing skills. I am thankful that I had a “second” family who was deaf, it sure helped me a lot.
I enjoy my deafness because I can basically control how much I want to hear. Like if I wanted to hear something, I would put on my hearing aid, if I choose to be deaf then I simply take off my hearing aid. So you can share ur experience growing up being deaf if you would like… Tell me your pros and cons in being deaf…
November 30, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Your vlog was too dark and I could not even see what you signed at all.
November 30, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Hi Rita.
It’s nice to know more about you. You often leave a comment on my v/blog. Nice to see you doing more vlogs yourself.
This particular vlog you made is precious. It is really tender because it tells of the loneliness a deaf child can experience in a hearing family who do not sign so well.
Yet you, like many other deaf people, have the right attitude to keep positive. I’m glad you’re a member of DeafRead. You are welcome and you belong here.
~ LaRonda
November 30, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Welcome to vlog’s world! Please make yourself a room here! =-)
- Tar
December 1, 2007 at 3:44 am
Welcome Rita to the vlogland! I am so pleased
to get know you and look foward to seeing your upcoming vlogs!
December 1, 2007 at 5:39 pm
HI Rita!
Congrats on making your vlog! I have seen you have made improvement by looking at the screen where us viewers are able to see you from eye to eye so keep up with that. A bit more light will help a lot as well.
How neat about you sharing your experiences growing up Deaf. Isn’t it nice having a choice to appreciate silent surroundings?! It is good to know that your mother knows some signs and communication in your family is what it counts!
December 1, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Hi Rita!
Let me tell you abt me okay what I go thru. I was little girl and I walk down to the drive way and my father call me Mary Mary and I never response then he grab me and put me the house and told my mother and My mother took me to the ear doctor and cant find it what wrong with me then My mother call my family doctor and waiting finally got phone call form my family doctor and gave my mother other ear doctor at Albany Med. So My other ear doctor found that I have hearing problems but dont know how bad and my ear doctor transfer me to see audiology at Albany Med. My audiology test on me and found out that I have profound deaf. So I went to public school for hearing Imparied in Albany, NY and I used oral speech and lipreading for many years.
So when I was teenager I went to regular High school but it was very difficulty for me because I have problem with teachers to make me hard lipreading and walking around without lipreading as I had frustrated. But the school want me to go deaf school , but my father had upset and didnt want me go deaf school.
Im only child is deaf and all my rest of family are hearing people and no one never learn Sign Language. Then After My mother passing away and then I went to college night course of Sign Language program.
When I go regular school and High School they are make fun of me and they were so mean to me. I never comfortable with any regular school.
You have keep faith with God and trust God okay. God is watching o ver you all the way okay. Jesus Loves you.
You are so sweet and nice to know you.
God Bless you,
Mary Lou
December 2, 2007 at 4:07 am
I admire your openness in sharing what it is to be lonely in a hearing family. My own family only knew fingerspelling and a few signs. My family would be having a lot of fun while I could only watch. I had two choices: play along and have fun, or pout. But loneliness wasn’t a choice, it is a symptom of being left out, or a consequence of not being able to understand everything that goes on in your own household, or as a result of feeling not a part of the communication camaraderie in the family. All my friends were Deaf friends, that helped. Ever since I became immersed in Deaf Culture, I became less lonely. Since it’s an issue with our own families, nothing can really replace our flesh and blood or adoptive families, but being around people that can identify with our Deafness allows us to be ourselves and to grow within our Deaf Identity. I would like to suggest to ask a Deaf friend (adult) to purchase some educational DVDs about Deaf culture and the differences as compared to Hearing culture, and in general about Deafness to give to your parents. If we don’t educate our parents and families, many others growing up will feel lonely too. Sometimes educational tools serve as an epiphany or wake-up call for families who do not realize how lonely we can be, and it would be up to them to receive it with their hearts and make the necessary changes. Keep creating the vlogs, we will grow with you and we all will learn from each other, our own experiences, the pros and cons, the positives and negatives, and we will all see from each other how we look at the bright side
December 2, 2007 at 5:27 am
Thanks everyone for all ur comments!!! I am new at doing vlogs so i will do my best…